Wearing a white paladin uniform , he looked this way. A refreshing smile hung over his face as if it were a breeze when he found Damia.
âDamia? Oh my god!â
Kael jumped over the railing without any hesitation. Despite his height, he was gentle in his movements as he landed on the ground. The man looked down at Damie and nagged her affectionately.
âLong time no see. Why havenât you sent me a letter?â
âJust. Itâs been a while.â
A sad smile came over Damiaâs face. After she heard that Kael was becoming a paladin knight, she felt a great loss and fell into a deep depression. Under such circumstances, she had no confidence to keep up the farce and face Kael as his childhood friend as she did before.
âI see. You didnât come to play like before, and I thought something had happened. I was worried.â
The voice that touched my ears was warm. Kael was a little indecisive, but it was because he was a friendly person.
Dami had fallen in love with him because of the warmth of that smile and his kind disposition.
Damia looked up at him without a word. The way he spoke was as if he was upset with her, but Kael smiled down on her pleasantly. So Dami knew with even more clarity:
Sheâs simply not that important to him.
âYou heard the news, right? Me. I passed the test⌠I want to finish my training as soon as possible and leave to clean up the âcontaminationâ that is rampant in the South. To help the frail Saint.â
Kaelâs gray eyes were all shining with anticipation of a new future. In particular, the eyes filled with longing for the Saint seemed to be screaming at Damia. The fact slowly and cruelly mutilated Damiaâs chest.
âBut today is the last day. You came to my farewell party. Iâm so glad. Lady Damia! I will never forget you even after I join the church.â
Kael displayed the unique greeting of a knight who draws a sign in front of his chest and bends his waist. Of course, it was a joke, but it looked great on him, making him look noble. The uniform of the church is neat, except for the ceases made by all his formal greetings.
Damiaâs eyes were blurred as she watched it. According to the code of the church, a paladin could not get married. It was to prevent a conflict of family, politics, loyalty, and faithâone should only be devoted to God and not be muddied by affection.
By tomorrow, Kael will be leaving for the Great Goddess of War, participate in a ceremony to join the Saintâs Knighthood, and Damia will lose her chance forever. She will never be his lover or wife.
Never
âKael.â
Damia called his name with a cracking heart.
âHuh? Whatâs wrong Damia? Whatâs with that look on your face?â
A dull Kael was still smiling brightly in this situation without even an inkling about what was about to come out of her mouth.
I couldnât let Kael go without confessing.
Damia knew himself well. Her long-standing unrequited love had already festered to the point of pain and was bound to become a deadly poison unless it exploded.
â⌠âŚYou asked me before, didnât you, Kael? âWhy arenât you dating?'â
âHmm? Oh, yeahâŚ. I think I remember. Didnât you say there was someone you liked?â
Kael, who had been agonizing to recall the conversation for a while, raised his head as if it finally came to mind.
Damiaâs desperate eyes looked into Kaelâs face. He looked back into her beautiful eyes as if he had been possessed for a while, and then suddenly, he hardened with a late realization.
âNo way! The man Dami said you likedâŚâ
âThatâs right.â
Though he was confessed to by Damia, the Northâs greatest beauty, Kaelâs face did not look a bit pleased. Instead, he looked as if he was being punished. His face was distorted by surprise and guilt.
Damia couldnât have done anything. She managed to swallow the hot tears in her heart, and the taste of the broken heart in her mouth was so salty that her face unknowingly distorted. But she managed to split her chest and open it up.
âItâs you I like, Kael Roysten. Iâve always liked you.â